The present invention relates to a method for mounting components, e.g., electronic components so as to mount the components to predetermined positions on a printed board, and a component mounting apparatus carrying out the method.
An electronic component mounting apparatus 1 of the related art shown in FIG. 18 for use in mounting electronic components on a printed board roughly comprises a circuit board transfer device 3 for carrying in and out circuit boards 2 to which the electronic components are to be mounted, reel-type component feed devices 4, 4 and tray-type component feed devices 6, 6 for supplying the electronic components to be mounted, a component holding device 7 which is attached to an XY-robot 5 thereby being movable in X, Y-directions for mounting an electronic component 9 held at the reel-type component feed device 4 or tray-type component feed device 6 onto the printed board 2, a component recognition camera 10 for inspecting a hold posture or the like of the electronic component 9 held by the component holding device 7 before the electronic component is mounted to the circuit board 2. The component holding device 7 is equipped with nozzles 8 for holding the electronic components 9, for example, by sucking or a like manner.
In the above electronic component mounting apparatus 1 of the related art, the circuit board 2 is fixedly positioned after being carried into the component mounting apparatus 1. That is, the circuit board 2 is not allowed to move when the component is to be mounted thereto. Instead, the component holding device 7 moves in the X, Y-directions to mount the component to the circuit board 2 after the component recognition camera 10 recognizes the electronic component 9 caught from the reel-type component feed device 4 or the like. The component holding device 7 in the related art electronic component mounting apparatus 1 moves a large distance, making it difficult to mount the component to an object at high speed with high mount accuracy.
The present invention is devised to solve the aforementioned problem. The present invention provides a method for mounting components and an apparatus for executing the method whereby components can be mounted to an object at a high speed, with improved productivity, and with higher accuracy.
In accomplishing the above-described object, the present invention features as follows.
According to a component mount method in a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component mount method for carrying out by a component mounting apparatus which comprises a transfer device for transferring an object to be mounted in a transfer direction along a linear transfer path, at least two component feed devices fixedly disposed at both sides of the transfer path via the transfer path in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction for supplying components to be mounted to the object and, a component hold device which is movable both in the transfer direction and the direction orthogonal to the transfer direction, holds the component from the component feed device and mounts the component to the object,
the component mount method characterized in that after the object is moved towards the component feed device for supplying the component to be held by the component hold device in order to mount the component to the object, the component is mounted by the component hold device to the object.
A component mount method according to a second aspect of the present invention may be designed so that after the object is moved toward the component feed device before mounting the component, recognition operation of an arrangement position of the object is carried out so as to correct a movement amount of the component hold device with respect to a component mount position on the object.
A component mount method according to a third aspect of the present invention may be designed so that in a case when the component mounting apparatus comprises recognition devices arranged at both sides of the transfer path via the transfer path in the direction orthogonal to the transfer direction, for recognizing the component held by the component hold device before being mounted, the object is brought to a position where a distance between the recognition device and a component mount position on the object is minimum after the object is moved toward the component feed device and before the component is mounted.
A component mount method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention may be designed so that after the object is brought to the position where the distance between the recognition device and the component mount position on the object is minimum and before the component is mounted, recognition operation of an arrangement position of the object is carried out in order to correct a movement amount of the component hold device with respect to a component mount position on the object.
According to a component mounting apparatus in a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a component mounting apparatus which comprises a transfer device for transferring an object to be mounted in a transfer direction along a linear transfer path, at least two component feed devices fixedly disposed at both sides of the transfer path via the transfer path in a direction orthogonal to the transfer direction for supplying components to be mounted to the object and, a component hold device which moves both in the transfer direction and the direction orthogonal to the transfer direction, holds the component from the component feed device and mounts the component to the object,
said apparatus characterized by further comprising:
an object to be mounted moving device which is connected to the transfer path, holds the object transferred along the transfer path and mounting the components, and moves an object to be mounted in at least one of the transfer direction and the direction orthogonal to the transfer direction in which the object approaches the component feed device; and
a control device for controlling the object to be mounted moving device in operation so that the object is arranged at the side of the component feed device which is to supply the component to be held by the component hold device in order to mount the component to the object.
According to the component mount method in the first aspect and the component mounting apparatus in the fifth aspect of the present invention constituted as above, the control device and the object to be mounted moving device are provided, so that before the component is mounted, the object is preliminary moved towards the side where the component feed device is arranged and the component is to be held. A movement distance of the component hold device when to hold the component from the component feed device and mount to the object can hence be shortened. Thus components can be mounted at high speed, thereby improving productivity.
According to the component mount method in the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the feature achieved by the component mount method in the first aspect, the arrangement position of the object is recognized, thereby facilitating the high-speed mounting of components. The components can be mounted to the object with higher accuracy in comparison with the component mount method in the first aspect.
According to the component mount method in the third aspect of the present invention, at the time of recognizing the component by the recognition device, the object is disposed to a position where the distance between the recognition device and the component mounted position on the object becomes minimum. In consequence, a movement distance of the component hold device after the component is recognized before the component is mounted to the object is reduced, enabling the high-speed mounting of components and improving productivity.
The component mount method in the fourth aspect of the present invention includes a recognition operation for the arrangement position of the object, in addition to the feature achieved by the above component mount method of the third aspect, whereby components can be mounted to the object at high speed with higher accuracy than in the component mount method according to the third aspect.